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Mexican Folktales: Annotated Bibliography
Culture Research:
While researching the topic of Mexican folktales, I stumbled upon many books that had the coyote as the villain in the story. I found that this was similar to the wolf in many European fairy tales, fables, folktales and legends that I had heard as a child. This use of the coyote as the trickster character in these Mexican folktales intrigued me to explore this specific character within the wide assortment of Mexican folktales available. I found references to many coyote as the trickster tales at the website library.thinkquest.org. This website stated that coyotes are often found as the tricksters in tales because they are smart animals that are seen as scavengers and humans find them mysterious (ThinkQuest, n.d.). Coyotes can be found in many Mexican folktales as well as from various Native Americans cultures that lived and still live around the Northern Mexico and the American Southwest region, where the coyote is readily found.
Borreguita and the coyote : a tale from Ayutla, Mexico book jacket
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico. Illus. by Petra Mathers. 1991. 32p. Alfred A. Knope, Inc. Publishing. $15.00 (978-0679889366)
In the tale Borreguita and the Coyote (Aardema, 1991), Borreguita, a little lamb, confronts the hungrySeñor Coyote and tricks him several times so he does not eat her. She first tricks Señor Coyote into waiting until she becomes fat on clovers in order to become a better meal for him, which he agrees to. After a few days Borreguita tells Señor Coyote that a big, round cheese, can be found in the middle of the pond, which tastes much better that her. Of course this is only the reflection of the moon, and Señor Coyote attempts to swim out and get it, nearly drowning in the process. This made him howl at the moon in his frustration. Señor Coyote later finds Borreguita lying on her back, holding up a mountain, which she claims will fall on them if he does not help her. Señor Coyote agrees and Borreguita escapes from him again. In the final scene, Borreguita claims that Señor Coyote could eat her whole, so she has him open his mouth wide and then rams him in the mouth. After this final humiliation, Señor Coyote does not attempt to eat Borreguita again.
Even though the reader is told that the tale is originally from Ayutla, Mexico, few cultural markers exist in the illustrations and text. Ayutla is located southwest of Mexico City and east of Acapulco, nestled in the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains. The opening illustration of the story is of a farmer wearing blue jeans, boots, a long-sleeve light blue shirt, a brown vest and a cowboy hat or small sombrero on his property, which is surrounded by mountains. This scene could be in West Texas as easily as in could be in Mexico. After that scene the others do not indicate the story's location very well. Spanish words are used throughout the tale
The Kirkus review of the folktale stated that the author Verna Aardema is an excellent storyteller who maintains an excellent pace and adds humor to the story. Illustrator Petra Mathers contributes vibrant color and artwork which highlights the story’s action and humor, while capturing the visual differences of the timid little lamb and cunning trickster (Kirkus, 1991).
The Horn Book reviewed the folktale by stating that the tale, which originated from the west of Mexico is told with a lot of energy and has many humorous elements. Petra Mathers does an excellent job of illustrating the energy and humor of the story while incorporating the look of Mexican folk art. The readers are provided with a glossary of the
definitions and pronunciations of the Spanish words at the beginning of the tale (Horn Book, 1991).
The tale of rabbit and coyote, a tale from Juchitan, Mexico book jacket
Johnston, Tony. The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote. Illus. by Tomie DePaola. 1994. 32p. G. P. Putman's Sons. $11.75 (978-0698116306)
In "The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote" (Johnston, 1994), the rabbit tricks Señor Coyote many times making him look foolish. Later in the story, rabbit tricks Señor Coyote into attempting to drink all the water in a lake in order to eat the cheese found in the middle, which was really just the reflection of the moon on the water, Señor Coyote becomes so angry with rabbit that he threatens to eat him. However, rabbit cleverly runs up a ladder to the moon and hides the ladder so Señor Coyote cannot follow him. So the story claim that since Señor Coyote cannot reach rabbit on the moon, that is why he howls at the moon in frustration, even to this day.
Tony Johnston stated in her author's note that she had read a version of this tale written in Spanish by Francisco Toledo. Ms. Johnston was so intrigued by Mr. Toledo's retelling and this trickster rabbit which reminded her of the Uncle Remus's character of Br' er Rabbit.
In this tale there were many visual cultural markers. These included the farmers traditional Mexican clothing, a neck scarf and a sombrero. His home is white stucco with a red clay roof and an image of the Virgin Mary on the outside. As Mexican clay cooking pot is also in the home scene of the farmer. The vibrant pastel colors used throughout the illustrations are also very Mexican style.
The Kirkus Review stated that Tony Johnston's retelling of this Mexican folktale was lively and clearly expressed, while Tomie DePaula expressed his illustrations different from his familiar style, but still recognizable as his own (Kirkus, 1994).
The School Library Journal boasted that even though the Mexican folktale seems common place and comical, it is uniquely written and illustrated (SLJ, 1994).
Pedro and the coyote : based on Mexican folk tales book jacket
Sepehri, Sandy. Pedro and the Coyote. Illus. by Brain Demeter.2007. 32p. Rourke Publishing. $19.95 (978-1600441493)
The Mexican Folktale of "Pedro and the Coyote" (Sepehri, 2007) is based on an eight year old Mexican boy who takes care of the chickens on his family's farm. He is very happy with his job of feeding the animals and gathering their eggs from their six chickens for his family's meals. Pedro soon has an encounter with a coyote that was able to enter the chicken coop and devour three of the six chickens. The coyote was so stuffed he could not leave the chicken coup the way he entered so he played dead until Pedro found him and dragged him in to the woods to dispose of the carcass. The coyote had tricked Pedro and even called him "niño estúpido." Not being outdone, Pedro tricks the coyote into jumping into the pond and says he will only rescue the coyote if he promises never to return to the farm, which the coyote agrees never to do.
This story contains a few traditional cultural elements from the boy Pedro's Mexican heritage. In the illustrations, Pedro is dress in a Mexican style poncho and his skin is of olive complexion. Even though there are Spanish words used throughout the tale, the reader is told that the story is based on Mexican folktales on the cover and in the title page.
No critical reviews could be found for this book in a database. This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online, however the reviews at these websites were also very limited.
Picture tales from Mexico book jacket
Storm, Dan. Picture Tales From Mexico. Illus. by Mark Storm. 1995. 122p. Gulf Publishing Company. $4.79 (978-0884156703)
Of the nineteen folktales found within the book Picture Tales from Mexico (Storm, 1995), thirteen have the coyote as a main character in them. A few of these folktale titles are "Brother Rabbit, Señor Coyote,and the Cheese," "The Wax Doll, the Coyote, and the Rabbit," and "Señor Coyote Plays Schoolmaster for the Rabbit." The isolated elements found in these folktales are can also be found in many other folktales in combination. These elements are the moon's reflection in a body of water as a wheel of cheese, the captured rabbit tricking the coyote to change places with him by making him believe that he will receive food, and how the rabbit tricks the coyote into disturbing the hornets nest. These stories have one theme and are relatively short and they have a similar style to Aesop's Fables.
The title of the book states that these tales are from Mexico, but other cultural markers also exist within the various coyote tales.In the illustrations, Señor Coyote is often depicted wearing a sombrero, a Mexican hat and a poncho vest, a Mexican style vest. In one illustration, Señor Coyote is even holding a machete, which is a traditional large heavy Mexican knife used to cut vegetation. Spanish words are also scattered throughout the various tales
No critical reviews could be found for this book in a database, but it is available for purchase on Amazon's and Barnes and Noble's websites. Each site has a limited review of the book stating that the book contained folktales that came from Mexican story-telling traditions passed down through the generations. Children will learn life lessons from these nineteen tales; Señor Coyote plays a major role in many (B&N, 2014).
Mexican-American folklore book jacket
West, John O. Mexican-American Folklore. "'Mana Zorra (Sister Fox) and 'Mano Coyote (Brother, or Br'er, Coyote)." 1989. 314p. August House, Inc. $17.95 (978-087430590)
The story of "'Mano Zorra and 'Mano Coyote" pertains to the encounters of a fox who continually outwits the coyote. In the story many elements of similarity with other coyote folktales exist, including the wax man which traps the coyote, the moon's reflection in the pond believed to be cheese by the coyote, and the tale of the hornets nest. John O. West does an excellent job of including a motif and tale type index as an appendix to the book. This allows the reader to find the type of folktale, proverb, song, or legend they are most interested in. The motif number is also helpful finding the right story.
Even though the title of the book reflects that the tales are Mexican-American in origin, a few Spanish words and Mexican Spanish slang words are used such as 'Mano, which is short for the Spanish word hermano for brother.
The Booklist reviewed the book as being one that was more scholarly than other works and the different parts were arranged by subject with an appendix containing notes, motif, tale type, and general indexes (August House, 2007).
The Book Reader stated that the book portrays the unique culture obtained through a large amount of research by the author (August House, 2007.).
Logo created using the PicMonkey Web 2.0 application for background and text and MS Word clipart for images.
Mexican Folktales: Annotated Bibliography
Culture Research:
While researching the topic of Mexican folktales, I stumbled upon many books that had the coyote as the villain in the story. I found that this was similar to the wolf in many European fairy tales, fables, folktales and legends that I had heard as a child. This use of the coyote as the trickster character in these Mexican folktales intrigued me to explore this specific character within the wide assortment of Mexican folktales available. I found references to many coyote as the trickster tales at the website library.thinkquest.org. This website stated that coyotes are often found as the tricksters in tales because they are smart animals that are seen as scavengers and humans find them mysterious (ThinkQuest, n.d.). Coyotes can be found in many Mexican folktales as well as from various Native Americans cultures that lived and still live around the Northern Mexico and the American Southwest region, where the coyote is readily found.
In the tale Borreguita and the Coyote (Aardema, 1991), Borreguita, a little lamb, confronts the hungry Señor Coyote and tricks him several times so he does not eat her. She first tricks Señor Coyote into waiting until she becomes fat on clovers in order to become a better meal for him, which he agrees to. After a few days Borreguita tells Señor Coyote that a big, round cheese, can be found in the middle of the pond, which tastes much better that her. Of course this is only the reflection of the moon, and Señor Coyote attempts to swim out and get it, nearly drowning in the process. This made him howl at the moon in his frustration. Señor Coyote later finds Borreguita lying on her back, holding up a mountain, which she claims will fall on them if he does not help her. Señor Coyote agrees and Borreguita escapes from him again. In the final scene, Borreguita claims that Señor Coyote could eat her whole, so she has him open his mouth wide and then rams him in the mouth. After this final humiliation, Señor Coyote does not attempt to eat Borreguita again.
Even though the reader is told that the tale is originally from Ayutla, Mexico, few cultural markers exist in the illustrations and text. Ayutla is located southwest of Mexico City and east of Acapulco, nestled in the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains. The opening illustration of the story is of a farmer wearing blue jeans, boots, a long-sleeve light blue shirt, a brown vest and a cowboy hat or small sombrero on his property, which is surrounded by mountains. This scene could be in West Texas as easily as in could be in Mexico. After that scene the others do not indicate the story's location very well. Spanish words are used throughout the tale
The Kirkus review of the folktale stated that the author Verna Aardema is an excellent storyteller who maintains an excellent pace and adds humor to the story. Illustrator Petra Mathers contributes vibrant color and artwork which highlights the story’s action and humor, while capturing the visual differences of the timid little lamb and cunning trickster (Kirkus, 1991).
The Horn Book reviewed the folktale by stating that the tale, which originated from the west of Mexico is told with a lot of energy and has many humorous elements. Petra Mathers does an excellent job of illustrating the energy and humor of the story while incorporating the look of Mexican folk art. The readers are provided with a glossary of the
definitions and pronunciations of the Spanish words at the beginning of the tale (Horn Book, 1991).
In "The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote" (Johnston, 1994), the rabbit tricks Señor Coyote many times making him look foolish. Later in the story, rabbit tricks Señor Coyote into attempting to drink all the water in a lake in order to eat the cheese found in the middle, which was really just the reflection of the moon on the water, Señor Coyote becomes so angry with rabbit that he threatens to eat him. However, rabbit cleverly runs up a ladder to the moon and hides the ladder so Señor Coyote cannot follow him. So the story claim that since Señor Coyote cannot reach rabbit on the moon, that is why he howls at the moon in frustration, even to this day.
Tony Johnston stated in her author's note that she had read a version of this tale written in Spanish by Francisco Toledo. Ms. Johnston was so intrigued by Mr. Toledo's retelling and this trickster rabbit which reminded her of the Uncle Remus's character of Br' er Rabbit.
In this tale there were many visual cultural markers. These included the farmers traditional Mexican clothing, a neck scarf and a sombrero. His home is white stucco with a red clay roof and an image of the Virgin Mary on the outside. As Mexican clay cooking pot is also in the home scene of the farmer. The vibrant pastel colors used throughout the illustrations are also very Mexican style.
The Kirkus Review stated that Tony Johnston's retelling of this Mexican folktale was lively and clearly expressed, while Tomie DePaula expressed his illustrations different from his familiar style, but still recognizable as his own (Kirkus, 1994).
The School Library Journal boasted that even though the Mexican folktale seems common place and comical, it is uniquely written and illustrated (SLJ, 1994).
(978-1600441493)
The Mexican Folktale of "Pedro and the Coyote" (Sepehri, 2007) is based on an eight year old Mexican boy who takes care of the chickens on his family's farm. He is very happy with his job of feeding the animals and gathering their eggs from their six chickens for his family's meals. Pedro soon has an encounter with a coyote that was able to enter the chicken coop and devour three of the six chickens. The coyote was so stuffed he could not leave the chicken coup the way he entered so he played dead until Pedro found him and dragged him in to the woods to dispose of the carcass. The coyote had tricked Pedro and even called him "niño estúpido." Not being outdone, Pedro tricks the coyote into jumping into the pond and says he will only rescue the coyote if he promises never to return to the farm, which the coyote agrees never to do.
This story contains a few traditional cultural elements from the boy Pedro's Mexican heritage. In the illustrations, Pedro is dress in a Mexican style poncho and his skin is of olive complexion. Even though there are Spanish words used throughout the tale, the reader is told that the story is based on Mexican folktales on the cover and in the title page.
No critical reviews could be found for this book in a database. This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online, however the reviews at these websites were also very limited.
Of the nineteen folktales found within the book Picture Tales from Mexico (Storm, 1995), thirteen have the coyote as a main character in them. A few of these folktale titles are "Brother Rabbit, Señor Coyote,and the Cheese," "The Wax Doll, the Coyote, and the Rabbit," and "Señor Coyote Plays Schoolmaster for the Rabbit." The isolated elements found in these folktales are can also be found in many other folktales in combination. These elements are the moon's reflection in a body of water as a wheel of cheese, the captured rabbit tricking the coyote to change places with him by making him believe that he will receive food, and how the rabbit tricks the coyote into disturbing the hornets nest. These stories have one theme and are relatively short and they have a similar style to Aesop's Fables.
The title of the book states that these tales are from Mexico, but other cultural markers also exist within the various coyote tales.In the illustrations, Señor Coyote is often depicted wearing a sombrero, a Mexican hat and a poncho vest, a Mexican style vest. In one illustration, Señor Coyote is even holding a machete, which is a traditional large heavy Mexican knife used to cut vegetation. Spanish words are also scattered throughout the various tales
No critical reviews could be found for this book in a database, but it is available for purchase on Amazon's and Barnes and Noble's websites. Each site has a limited review of the book stating that the book contained folktales that came from Mexican story-telling traditions passed down through the generations. Children will learn life lessons from these nineteen tales; Señor Coyote plays a major role in many (B&N, 2014).
The story of "'Mano Zorra and 'Mano Coyote" pertains to the encounters of a fox who continually outwits the coyote. In the story many elements of similarity with other coyote folktales exist, including the wax man which traps the coyote, the moon's reflection in the pond believed to be cheese by the coyote, and the tale of the hornets nest. John O. West does an excellent job of including a motif and tale type index as an appendix to the book. This allows the reader to find the type of folktale, proverb, song, or legend they are most interested in. The motif number is also helpful finding the right story.
Even though the title of the book reflects that the tales are Mexican-American in origin, a few Spanish words and Mexican Spanish slang words are used such as 'Mano, which is short for the Spanish word hermano for brother.
The Booklist reviewed the book as being one that was more scholarly than other works and the different parts were arranged by subject with an appendix containing notes, motif, tale type, and general indexes (August House, 2007).
The Book Reader stated that the book portrays the unique culture obtained through a large amount of research by the author (August House, 2007.).
Works Cited
"Coyote Books For Children." ThinkQuest. Oracle Education Foundation, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. <http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00260/fiction/biblio.html>.
Works Consulted
August House. "Reviews." Booklist. 2007. Article Citation. Web. 1 April 2014. <http://store.augusthouse.com/productdetails.cfm?SKU=0591>.
August House. "Reviews." The Book Reader. 2007. Article Citation. Web. 1 April 2014. <http://store.augusthouse.com/productdetails.cfm?SKU=0591>.
Barnes and Noble. Overview. 2007. "Picture Tales from Mexico." 2 April 2014. <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/picture-tales-from-mexico-dan-storm/1100467474?ean=9780884156703>.
Bock, Lee. "Book Review: Preschool & Primary Grades." School Library Journal 40.6 (1994): 121. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Book Reviews & Recommendations." Kirkusreviews.com. Borreguita and the Coyote. 1 Aug. 1991. Article Citation. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/verna-aardema/borreguita-and-the-coyote/>.
"Book Reviews & Recommendations." Kirkusreviews.com. The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote.12 May 1994. Article Citation. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tony-johnston/the-tale-of-rabbit-and-coyote/>.
Fader, Ellen. "Borreguita And The Coyote: A Tale From Ayutla Mexico." Horn Book Magazine 67.5 (1991): 605. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.